


Throw That Speedball by You

by pocketclocked



Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alvin is a MLB player, Jude is a nerdy doctor, M/M, Milla is amazing, Sports, very minor spoilers for ToX2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-23
Updated: 2014-09-03
Packaged: 2018-02-14 10:24:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2188215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pocketclocked/pseuds/pocketclocked
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first thing Jude said was, "Oh," and the next was, "You are not a mob boss."</p><p>Alvin looked incredulous. "What?"</p><p>Jude's covered his face with his hands and groaned. "You are not a mob boss, you're a famous baseball player, and I am a huge idiot."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bang-Bang Play

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was definitely inspired by the DLC baseball costume you can get for Alvin in ToX2. :|b Character descriptions are based on their ages/outfits/careers from ToX2, though I tweaked Jude's age a bit to make it slightly more realistic.
> 
> As always, please let me know if you spot any formatting or spelling/grammar errors. Thanks for reading!
> 
> (Title from Springsteen's "Glory Days.")

As a Major League Baseball player for the Trigleph Wyverns, Alvin was accustomed to a certain level of comfort. Fancy restaurants, expensive apparel, a very nice car, and no shortage of admirers were usually _involved_ in that level of comfort. What he was _not_ accustomed to was a sprained knee and three weeks on the bench for injury rest. 

Which was how he ended up in his manager's office, draped in one of the most uncomfortable chairs known to man and decidedly Not Sulking.

"What are you doing here? I'm busy, and you're annoying."

Personal Manager Milla Maxwell was ruthlessly efficient and extremely dedicated, but she also had zero tact and very little patience for Alvin. It was part of what made her so good at her job.

"The trainer says I need physical therapy, and my doctor's away on some doctor retreat thing in Fennmont." He was aware that he sounded some whiny kid, but he paid Milla very well to put up with it.

"You should go see my doctor," Milla remarked absently, typing up something (probably important) on her computer. "He's actually quite good, and his fees are very reasonable." They both knew that money wasn't an issue, but she managed just about everything for him, including his finances. Without her, Alvin most likely would have bankrupted himself years ago.

"Oh?" Praise was hard to get from Milla, so Alvin figured the guy must be good. "Where's he established? Here in Trigleph? Or back in your hometown in Reize Maxia?"

"Neither, actually. He runs a small clinic in Leronde."

Alvin nearly choked, straightening up in his chair. "Leronde? That backwater town? How the hell did you find him?"

Milla offered him a rare smile. "It's quite a long story, one I won't bore you with. Needless to say, Jude's very good at what he does, and extremely professional." She frowned, then. "Though, he could do with more of a social life."

"A bit of a shut in, hm?"

"He's very concerned with his research." Milla went back to typing, then paused. "You should take him out on a date.

This time Alvin really did choke. "What."

"By all accounts, you're handsome and charming, though a bit of a philanderer-"

"By 'all accounts'-- _Philanderer_?"

"-And Jude is attractive and intelligent. It would be a good match."

Alvin scratched at his goatee and scowled. "Isn't there some kind of rule against dating your doctor? Besides, nerdy shut-ins aren't really my type."

Milla shrugged and resumed her work. "Suit yourself, though I do think you'd like him."

Silence stretched between them, making Alvin fidget. It was true that he could find no shortage of doctors right here in Trigleph, especially with his cousin's research connection to most of the local hospitals and clinics. But three weeks on the bench meant for very little variety, and Alvin began to think that maybe a change of pace would be interesting. Besides, it's not like he was obligated to go on a date if he _did_ choose to go to the clinic.

Finally, he sighed. "Give me the number."

His brow twitched when Milla gave a knowing smile and handed him a slip of paper on which she'd already written the contact information. She really did know him too well.

\--

Leronde really was a backwater town in the middle of nowhere, a far cry from Trigleph, but it had a quaint atmosphere that Alvin found catching. All in all, there were probably about three total streets, including the one leading out of town, so it was fairly easy to find Dr. Mathis' clinic. The building was nestled snugly in between two residences, and when Alvin stepped through the door, he was greeted by a cozy reception area and the smell of coffee.

Although there was no one at the desk, the bell over the door must have announced his arrival because he heard a voice call out, "Just a minute! I'll be right out!" There was a loud thump and the sound of shuffling papers, and then a young man was tumbling out of the front office.

"Dr. Mathis?" Alvin took in the doctor's unbuttoned lab coat and glasses that were perched atop unruly black hair. Milla hadn't been lying when she said the doctor was attractive, but she had failed to mention that he looked like a damn _teenager_.

The man smiled and held out his hand. "Please, call me Jude. You must be Alvin. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Alvin replied, taking the hand. "You were highly recommended by a, er, colleague," he stumbled, not quite sure how to word his relationship with his manager. 'Woman who runs my life' was more appropriate, but tended to give people the wrong idea.

Jude brightened. "Ah, right! Milla's friend. The sprained knee, correct?" At Alvin's nod, he adjusted his glasses and grabbed a chart from the desk. "Just follow me, we'll be in room one, down the hall." A quick glance into the office that Jude had appeared from showed that it was overflowing with medical tomes and papers, and Alvin grinned.

"Doing some research?"

At this, Jude reddened. "Ah, yeah. I apologize for the mess. One of my degrees was in biomedical engineering, and I'm sometimes called to give lectures at universities, so I work to stay up-to-date in the field a lot."

" _One_ of your degrees?" Alvin whistled. "Impressive, honors student. How old are you, anyway?"

"Twenty four."

"Damn," Alvin chuckled. "You're making me look bad, here."

The doctor turned even more red at the praise, and gestured through an open door at the end of the hallway. "Um. Right in here.'"

The examination rooms proved to be just as comfortable as the reception area, though the smell of coffee was absent. Alvin took a seat in one of the chairs while Jude grabbed a stool and jotted down a few notes on his chart. After a moment, he looked up and swiveled to face Alvin.

"So, you wanted to set up a schedule for physical therapy?"

"That's the plan, doc." Alvin shrugged. "So they tell me."

Jude smiled. "May I take a look at the knee? Your other doctor sent over the MRI results, but it'll help give me an idea of what therapy would be best."

Between the two of them, they maneuvered the bad knee up onto a stool and rolled Alvin's pants up so that Jude could prod at the injury. His hands were gentle but firm, and he paused every so often to mark something on his chart or ask a question about the pain. Alvin watched him work, impressed by his delicacy and attention to detail. No wonder Milla liked him so much.

And he found that, despite his earlier claims that Jude wasn't his type, he really was attracted to him. The young doctor was handsome--in a disheveled, scholarly sort of way--smart, and professional, and so completely different from the men that Alvin was normally interested in. He had to hand it to Milla because the woman really did know him too well.

"So, do you work in Trigleph?" Jude asked, breaking into his thoughts. Alvin shook his head to clear it.

"Pardon?"

"Do you work in Trigleph? Since you know Milla?"

At that moment, it occurred to Alvin that Jude had absolutely no clue who he was. The idea was--oddly refreshing. In Trigleph, he'd be hard pressed to find someone who _didn't_ know him.  And here was attractive Doctor Jude, who lived in the middle of nowhere and spent all of his time researching, and who had probably never seen a baseball game in his life. Alvin smiled.

"I'm in-between jobs at the moment, but normally, yes," he replied, and it wasn't _technically_ a lie. He was just returning to the same job in a few weeks. Jude nodded and moved back over to his desk to write something down.

"I've never been there myself, but I imagine it's pretty different from here."

Alvin chuckled. "You have no idea."

Jude fiddled around and grabbed a few things from a cabinet, including a weekly chart which he began to fill out. "So, um." He paused, and Alvin thought he looked saw a slightly pink tinge to the doctor's cheeks. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Alvin grinned. "No. I, uh. 'Bat for the other team,' if you get my meaning." And oh, he was going to have fun with this.

The doctor nodded. "Boyfriend, then?"

"Not at the moment..." Alvin drawled, grin widening when Jude blushed even more. He was quiet for a bit after that, focused on filling out the chart and comparing it with his notes. Alvin eventually broke the silence. "So, how do you know Milla?"

"Oh, she and I go way back. We met in Fennmont when I was a med student," Jude said, smiling. And that explained it. Alvin was having a hard time imagining his manager wandering into Leronde on a whim.

"You two close?"

Jude laughed. "As close as you can get to someone like Milla, but I'm sure you're familiar with that."

"Quite," Alvin muttered, rolling his eyes, and Jude laughed again.

"Ah, Anyway," the doctor continued, switching back to a more professional tone. "Here's what I would recommend for the knee."

He handed Alvin the chart, leaning in to point to different areas. "If it works for you, you can come in four times a week so that we can work on exercises to help strengthen the muscles. At home, you can do some simple stretches, but for the most part you should keep it wrapped, elevated, and iced." He leaned back and held up a roll of bandages and an ice pack, which he put into a bag. "I'll also prescribe an anti-inflammatory to help with the swelling."

Alvin glanced over the chart, which outlined the next few weeks' schedule along with what types of stretches he should do at home. Taking the offered bag from Jude, he tucked the paper away and smiled. "Thorough. I'll have to thank Milla for recommending you."

Jude flushed again. "Ah, thanks. It's always nice to see new patients." He paused, and looked as though he were about to say something else when the bell over the front door rang.

"Dr. Mathis!" Someone called out, and Jude stood up, looking flustered.

"Ah, um. That'll be my next patient."

Alvin stood as well, extending his hand. "I'll see you in a few days, then?"

"Yeah," Jude replied, taking it. They stood for a minute until the silence began to stretch awkwardly, and Jude suddenly let go and moved to the door. "Um. See you then!" Then he was gone down the hallway. Alvin heard him greeting the new patient and smiled to himself.

Oh yeah. Milla was definitely getting a raise for this.


	2. Twin Killing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Leia demonstrates her tact (or lack thereof) and finally gets Jude a date. Or six.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, but this chapter was rough. :\ Also, I'll be splitting the story into three parts, since this section turned out to be such a monster. (Not to worry, the third part's halfway done.)
> 
> As always, please point out any spelling/grammar/formatting errors!

A few days later, Alvin showed up at the appointed time to find the reception area empty again. The kid really needed to get himself a receptionist. When he didn't hear Jude, he called out, "Doctor Mathis?"

There was no answer, and Alvin frowned, wandering further into the building. "Jude?"

When he reached the door to the office, he glanced in to see the doctor hard at work, typing something on his computer. Headphone cables dangled from his ears, so Alvin knocked loudly on the door and grinned when Jude yelped and nearly tumbled from his chair.

"Alvin? What-" Jude closed his laptop and untangled his headphones, glancing at his watch. "You're here early."

"Right on time," Alvin said, waving his phone and trying not to laugh. Jude frowned, glanced at the clock on the wall, then back at his watch.

"Damn. I'll have to get this fixed again..." Smoothing out his hair and jacket, he smiled sheepishly. "I'm really sorry. Normally I'm a little more put-together."

Alvin laughed, then. "No harm done. You seemed hard at work."

Jude sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair. "I've got another talk coming up, so it's a lot of extra reading and paperwork." He straightened and moved out into the hall, motioning for Alvin to follow. "But enough about that. Your first therapy session!"

"Woo," Alvin deadpanned, and the doctor laughed.

"I promise it won't be too bad. But let me know at any point if we're moving too quickly." Walking ahead, he missed the way Alvin grinned at that.

"Oh, I don't think that will be a problem..."

The room that they ended up in was larger, and probably used for physical therapy rather often based on the equipment Alvin saw piled in the corners. Jude didn't waste time, and started instructing Alvin on the exercises as soon as they were settled. It was all pretty basic, though effective, and Alvin had to continuously assure the doctor that no, he was fine, and he'll let him know if he felt like he was overdoing it.

They were about halfway through the routine when they heard the front door bang open and a woman call out, " _Jude_!"

"Oh god," Jude groaned. 

Alvin sat up from the floor mat he'd been lying on, curious. "Girlfriend?" Milla probably would have mentioned if Jude had one, but she might have enjoyed watching Alvin squirm. Then he laughed at the look of horror Jude gave in response. " _Ex_ -girlfriend?

"No, nothing like that. She's just a friend." The doctor sighed and rubbed a hand over his forehead. "Though you wouldn't know it from the way she bursts into my workplace," he muttered, almost to himself, and stood. "Excuse me a moment."

Alvin watched as Jude walked out into the hallway and was immediately accosted by a young woman who was talking a mile a minute.

"Leia-!" Jude sputtered, trying to talk over her. "I'm with a patient right now!"

"Ohhh, is it hot PT guy?" The woman--Leia--stuck her head in and grinned when she saw Alvin. "Wow, you were right. He is hot."

" _Leia_!"

Ignoring Jude, she walked into the room and extended a hand. "Leia Rolando, Reporter for the Trigleph Tribune." Then she paused, and her eyes widened in recognition. "Oh my gosh!" She whirled back to Jude, gesturing to Alvin (who was still sitting on the floor with his hand extended and very, very confused). "Do you even know who he _is_?"

Jude, still reeling from Leia's sudden appearance, frowned. "Um. Alvin Svent? Is he famous?" He turned to Alvin, looking baffled and a little concerned. "Are you famous?"

Alvin shrugged, but before he could reply, Leia cut in. " _Oh my god_ , Jude, you really are hopeless. Well, if he hasn't told you, I'm not going to." She turned back to Alvin, who had recovered from his earlier confusion and stood. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, Ms. Rolando." He smiled. "Jude didn't tell me he kept such beautiful company."

"Jude is surrounded by beautiful company, but wouldn't know it if it paraded around his office and slapped him in the face," Leia said with a dramatic sigh. "Besides, he's gayer than a daisy, so he doesn't know what to do with us anyway."

"Really," Alvin drawled, ignoring the strangled noises coming from the doctor. Leia nodded, then smiled mischievously.

"You should definitely ask him out. -Oh hush, Jude. I'm doing you a favor."

"Surprisingly, you're not the first person to suggest that," Alvin admitted.

Jude, in the meantime, was still standing in the doorway looking vaguely shellshocked. However, upon the suggestion that more than one of his friends had attempted to set him up on a date, he somehow managed to recover.  "Leia, aside from ruining my life and breaking _countless_ patient privacy rules, what are you doing here?"

"Hm?" His friend paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "You know? I don't remember. It must not have been that important."

"Leia." Jude was pinching at the bridge of his nose. "Please get out of my clinic."

"Honestly, Jude, you can be incredibly rude, you know that?" Leia turned back to Alvin and smiled winningly. "Alvin, it was lovely meeting you. Hopefully we'll be seeing more of you in the future?"

"I wouldn't count me out yet," he replied, grinning. Leia laughed.

"See, it's funny because-"

" _Leia_!"

" _Geez_ , Jude, no wonder you can't get a date," Leia huffed, marching from the room. Alvin heard her call "See you later, party pooper!" as she exited the clinic, and smiled.

"Charming friend you have there." Spotting Jude, he laughed. The doctor had slumped down against the wall and covered his face with his hands, mortified.

"Oh my god," Jude groaned. He moved his hands and gave Alvin a pleading look. "Could we please pretend the last fifteen minutes never happened?"

Alvin raised an eyebrow, curious. "So you wouldn't want me to ask you out on a date?"

Impossibly, Jude's face grew even redder and he began to fidget. “Um. Well-“

“Because, to be honest, I was planning on asking you out after our appointment today,” Alvin mused, a wide grin splitting his face. To his surprise, Jude looked distressed.

“Please don’t mess with me. Leia does a good enough job of that on her own.”

 “What?” Alvin’s grin faltered. “I’m not messing with you.” Resolved, he cleared his throat, swept out his arm, and bowed low. “Jude Mathis-“

“Oh no, please don’t-“

“-Would you do me the honor-“

“Alvin-!” Jude was laughing.

“-Of joining me for dinner tonight?” He finished, a bit flushed, but grinning. “I’d get down on one knee, but the sprain, you know.”

“Okay, okay!” Jude relented, eyes glittering. “You win. I will go on a date with you.”

“Excellent,” Alvin replied, rising from his bow and wincing a bit. “Speaking of that knee…”

They finished the session with only a few awkward moments, which mostly resulted from Alvin’s inability to keep himself from teasing the poor doctor. Afterward, Alvin headed toward the door with Jude hovering close behind.

“So, then, tonight. I’ll see you tonight?” The doctor rubbed at the back of his neck, nervous. “For dinner?”

Alvin laughed, resting a hand on Jude’s shoulder. “Relax, doc. It’s dinner, not one of your biomedical talks. Besides, I’m sure you could use a break from your research.” He smiled when Jude sighed in defeat. “Can I pick you up around seven?”

“Seven is great. I just live upstairs, so you can pick me up here.” The doctor smiled.

“Sure. Just make sure you’re not going off your broken watch.” Alvin chuckled at Jude’s sour expression as he walked out. “See you at seven, doc!”

\--

Jude must have taken his advice because when Alvin pulled up at seven, he was just locking the clinic door. While it was odd to see the doctor without his usual coat, Alvin enjoyed the jeans and dark blue button-up that Jude had chosen to wear. Most of his earlier nervousness appeared to be gone, and when he sidled into the passenger seat, he was smiling.

“So what’s the plan for tonight?”

“Well,” Alvin began to pull away, turning down the road. “I figured we could grab the ferry to Fennmont, get something to eat there?”

Jude grinned. “Fennmont? You mean you don’t want to eat here in the boondocks?”

“What?” Alvin slowed, suddenly anxious, and glanced at Jude. “Did you want-“ But Jude was laughing.

“No, Fennmont sounds great. Just wanted to see if _I_ could make _you_ nervous.” The doctor’s eyes, an odd shade of gold, were lit up in good humor. Alvin huffed, focusing on the road again.

“Yeah, yeah. I suppose I sort of owe it to you after this afternoon.”

The ferry ride was quick, and within the hour they’d arrived in Fennmont. Alvin hailed a taxi right at the port and directed the driver to the commercial district.

“Ah, Alvin, I meant to ask,” Jude murmured, though he seemed distracted by the city outside. Fennmont was attractive for it's nightlife, and seemed to be more alive then rather than during the day.

“Mm?"

“Where are you staying? I mean, I’m assuming you don’t make the trip from Trigleph to Leronde for every appointment.”

Alvin laughed. “No, definitely not. I have an apartment here in Fennmont.” His companion turned away from the window, surprised.

“Do you spend a lot of time here?”

“I do a bit of traveling during some parts of the year.” Alvin shrugged. “Besides, Fennmont’s much more beautiful than Trigleph, so it’s nice to come here sometimes, get away from the big city.”

Jude hummed thoughtfully, eyes still on Alvin. “What do you travel for?" He paused, frowning. "And why was Leia freaking out so much earlier? _Are_ you famous?”

Alvin grinned, shrugging again. “I’m well-known in Trigleph, but I wouldn’t say _famous_.” The taxi slowed, saving him from saying anything else. Alvin paid the driver before following Jude onto the sidewalk. “Well, here we are!”

The doctor was pale beside him. “ _Alvin_ ,” he hissed. “You said, and I quote ‘get something to eat,’ not, ‘go to the nicest restaurant in Fennmont’!”

“I was under the impression that the two weren’t mutually exclusive,” Alvin replied blithely. He slung an arm around Jude’s shoulders. “I recommend the Mabo Curry. It’s very good.”

The doctor was still staring. “How did you even get a reservation?”

“I know a guy.” Then Alvin was steering them both inside, much to Jude’s dismay.

“Mr. Svent!” The head waiter smiled and welcomed them in. “It’s good to see you again. We have your table ready in the back.”

“You have your own _table_ here?” Jude hissed lowly as they were led towards the rear of the restaurant. Alvin grinned, jostling his companion good naturedly.

“Did I mention it was the owner?” And Jude was rolling his eyes, but smiled as they were directed to their seats.

Once they’d ordered, Alvin found himself pinned by Jude’s glare. “What?”

“Okay, what do you do for work?” The doctor looked skeptical. “CEO of a major company?”

Alvin grinned widely. “That’s a rather broad guess, but—Strike one.” He held up a finger.

“Famous actor?”

“Strike two, though I do think I’d be good at it.”

Jude was scowling. “Heir to an enormous family fortune?”

“Strike three, _and_ you’re out.” Alvin chuckled. “My turn,” he leaned over the table, eyes glittering. “Did you really refer to me as ‘hot PT guy’ to Ms. Rolando?”

The scowl dropped from Jude’s face to be replaced with a look of horror and embarrassment. “Oh god, I had hoped you missed that part.”

Alvin grinned and took a sip of wine. “Fortunately, I did not. Do you do this with all of your patients?”

“Only the rich, overconfident ones,” Jude snipped, brow raised. “Besides, you’re the one who showed up ready to ask me out.”

“Very true,” Alvin murmured, smiling at the blush staining Jude’s cheeks. Taking another sip of wine, he leaned back. “So, you went to med school here?”

Their conversation continued until their food arrived, at which point Alvin was so distracted by the blissed-out expressions Jude was making over the food, it was all he could do to focus on his own meal.

“We always joked about coming here in college,” Jude was saying, eyes glittering from a little too much wine. “Of course, none of us could ever afford it, but we’d sit across the street at the café and list all the things we’d order, if we could.” He laughed, remembering. “Usually it was half the menu.”

Alvin smiled fondly. “Hopefully it’s living up to your expectations?”

“God, yes,” Jude practically moaned. Then he was scooping up something on his fork and holding it across the table for Alvin to try. “Here.”

“Wha-“ Before Alvin could finish, Jude had popped it into his mouth and withdrawn across the table, laughing.

“Good, right?”

And Alvin swallowed, nodded, and knew he was well and truly done for.

\--

By the time they arrived back at the clinic, it was almost eleven-thirty. Alvin even walked Jude to the door, the picture of a perfect gentleman. Next to him, Jude fidgeted with the clinic’s lock and finally turned to face him.

“Did you, um. Want to come up for a cup of coffee?”

Alvin grinned. “Coffee sounds lovely, but I feel I should warn you, I play the bases rather well.”

“Consider this a home run,” the doctor murmured, then grabbed the other’s sleeve, dragging him inside. Alvin’s grin widened and he didn’t protest at all.

\--

The next two weeks progressed in much the same fashion, with Alvin managing to entice Jude out for a date after almost every appointment, and Jude insisting that Alvin should have much more important things to do than pester his doctor. (He didn't.)

Once Alvin wheedled Jude into admitting that he’d never been to a baseball game, they spent the weekend in Xian Du for the Beast Hunters’ playoffs.

“Seriously, you’ve never been to a baseball game in your life? Didn’t your dad ever take you?”

Jude watched as the batter was tagged out, then snatched the popcorn back from Alvin. “First off, Leronde’s barely big enough to merit its own school system, not to mention sports teams.” He rolled his eyes and flicked a kernel at his companion. “And my dad’s idea of fun father-son activities is studying medical texts together.”

Alvin snorted. “Sounds like a super-fun guy.”

“You have no idea,” Jude grumbled, shoving popcorn in his mouth. After a moment, he glanced back at Alvin. “By the way, why are you wearing all that?”

“This?” The man adjusted his baseball cap and lowered his sunglasses to grin at Jude. “I’m _incognito_. Too many people might recognize me here.” He leaned over and pressed a kiss to the doctor’s lips, making him flush. “Can’t have them stealing me away from you.”

“Whatever,” Jude laughed, still blushing. “You look like a goofball to me.”

\--

After they’d—very thoroughly— exhausted themselves in the hotel room that night, Alvin slipped on his boxers and proceeded to rummage through his bag. Sitting up, Jude rubbed a hand through his mussed hair blearily.

“Alvin..? What are you looking for?”

“Hang on, it’s around here—ah.” Alvin grinned and produced a small box, handing it to Jude, who regarded it suspiciously.

“What is it?” 

“A present. Open it.” Alvin waved towards the gift, then clambered back into bed as the other opened the box and tipped its contents into his hand.

“A watch—wha?” Jude gaped. “Alvin, this is a Spirius Watch!”

“I know,” Alvin replied, nuzzling into Jude’s neck. The doctor smacked at him.

“I can’t take this! It’s too nice!”

Alvin sighed long-sufferingly at the protests and wrapped one arm around Jude to pull him in close. “Well, your watch was broken, and now you have a new one that won’t break.” He closed his other hand over Jude’s, which was holding the watch, and his eyes softened. “Please take it.”

Jude huffed, turning the watch over in his hands. Spirius Watches were well-known, not only for their durability, but for their intricacy. One alone was worth a small fortune, which was thankfully easily within Alvin's budget. Not that Jude knew that. “It’s still too much,” he muttered.

“Of course it’s not,” Alvin replied, draping himself over the smaller man. “Though I do know how you can make it up to me.”

“What?”

“Come to Trigleph with me next weekend,” he murmured.

Jude started. “What? That’s it?”

Alvin leaned up, resting his head in one hand, and smiled. “That’s it.” And Jude smiled and said, a little breathlessly, “Yeah, okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three should follow soon! Thanks for reading!


	3. Touch 'em All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The thrilling conclusion!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me, folks. I'm sorry about the delay (again) but I ran out of steam with this last bit. However, it's done! As always, please let me know if you spot any errors. Hopefully you've enjoyed it all, and thanks again for reading!

Alvin’s last week of physical therapy passed uneventfully—excluding a small incident involving poorly stacked floor mats and some weights—and, as promised, Jude packed a bag Friday afternoon to go back with him to Trigleph for the weekend. Between the ferry ride and layover in Marksburg Station, they finally stumbled into Alvin’s apartment sometime around midnight, and promptly passed out.

In the morning, Jude scrambled out of bed to make pancakes and gape over the view from Alvin’s top-floor apartment. Alvin, for his part, draped himself over the doctor and gave pleased little smiles over his excitement for the city. While the cost and time it took to get to Leronde was manageable, he was hoping he could convince Jude to spend some more time in Trigleph, especially once Alvin went back to work.

At Jude’s insistence, they spent the better part of the afternoon touring various museums and exhibits. It was very different from the usual sights Alvin took his dates to, but not entirely unpleasant. And Jude seemed to find the city to be an incredible compared to his small hometown.

During dinner that night—a smaller restaurant, since Jude had begun to complain that Alvin was spending too much on him at the nicer ones—Jude chattered on about the advancements that Trigleph was making in the medical fields. Alvin tried paying attention to the jargon, but he was more interested in how flushed Jude was getting as he talked.

“The hospitals here are amazing! Why didn’t you just go to one of them?”

Alvin shrugged, dragging his fork through his food absently. “Change of pace. I was getting tired of the routine here, and Milla _did_ give a great character reference for you.” Jude rolled his eyes, but was smiling.

“And does your line of work end with you in a doctor’s office very often?”

“Recently, it’s been more like his bed, not his office.”

Jude choked, face bright red. “ _Alvin_.”

The man shrugged again, grinning. “Sometimes. Injury isn’t uncommon.”

Sighing, Jude regarded him suspiciously. “Are you ever going to tell me what you do for a living?”

“I was sort of hoping you’d figured it out by now—“

“Really, you’re probably better off not knowing.”

Alvin and Jude both jerked up at the third voice, and Alvin swiveled to see his cousin standing behind him, smiling benignly.

“Balan! What are you doing here? You look…” Alvin winced. “ _Horrible_. What happened?” The man looked like he was covered in one large bruise, with a black eye, swollen cheek, and one leg encased in plaster. Across the table, he saw Jude assess the damage with a well-trained eye and shrugged when the doctor looked to him questioningly. Balan’s lab had its fair share of accidents, but he’d never looked this bad.

Half-ignoring Alvin, he grabbed a chair from a nearby empty table and pulled it over to their booth. “Same as you, I suppose, getting some food.” He gestured towards the take-out counter. “Imagine my surprise, when I saw that cousin Alfie was here with a date!”

Alvin grimaced at the nickname. His cousin was perfectly nice, when he wanted to be, but he was usually more concerned with embarrassing his cousin and tormenting him about the idiocy of professional sports. “Balan…”

The man dismissed him, turning to Jude. “Balan Svent, Alvin’s favorite cousin, lovely to meet you, and you are?”

“Jude Mathis,” the doctor extended a hand, smiling. “I take it you don’t approve of Alvin’s job?”

“The doctor! We’ve heard all about you. As for his job,” his cousin waved his hand dismissively. “Little more than common thugs that make ridiculous sums of money while the rest of us get smashed to a pulp doing the _real_ work.” Balan sighed, gesturing to his face and leg. “The price of information is so high these days.”

Alvin rolled his eyes. So it had been a lab accident. “Drama queen.” He turned to Jude, but the man waved him off, looking curious.

“Where is it that you work? Is that how you were injured?”

“Ah, that, Dr. Mathis, is top secret.” Wagging a finger, Balan smiled mysteriously. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

Alvin watched as Jude blanched, but was rescued from trying to mouth “government military secrets” by a man at the counter calling out Balan’s order. His cousin stood, sighing. “That would be my cue. It was nice meeting you, Doctor Mathis.” He grinned. “I do hope to see you in the future, when I can share plenty of embarrassing stories about my cousin here.”

Alvin paled. “Really, that’s alright.” Glancing at Balan’s leg, he began to stand. “Do you need a ride home?”

His cousin waved him off. “I’ve got a driver waiting outside, and besides, I would hate to spoil your date.”

“A little late for that,” Alvin grumbled, but waved as his cousin bid them farewell. Jude was smiling again when he turned back. “What?”

“Your cousin seems interesting.”

Alvin groaned. “Please do not take him seriously. He acts nice, but he can be horrible.”

“Trust me, I know the feeling,” Jude laughed, and Alvin remembered Leia bursting into the clinic. The doctor picked up his glass and gestured back to Alvin. “Anyway, you were about to tell me about your job?”

“Swing and a miss,” he grinned and pitched his voice low. “I would much prefer to keep talking about my ability to end up in my doctor’s bed.”

Jude very intelligently choked on his drink, and Alvin laughed.

\--

Alvin resolved to clue Jude in that Sunday by dragging him to Trigleph Stadium. For his two PhDs in fields of medical science, the doctor could be surprisingly ignorant, and Alvin thought he probably owed it to him to give a final little nudge. After breakfast that day, he donned an old jersey and cap, ignored the questioning glances, and bustled Jude into the car to drive them to the stadium.

“Will you please tell me where we're going?” Jude huffed, impatient. When Alvin had refused to mention anything earlier, the doctor had slumped down in the passenger seat and sulked, much to the other's amusement.

“You'll see soon enough.” Alvin smiled. “It has something to do with where I work.”

Perking up, Jude began to look at their surroundings carefully. “Somewhere downtown?”

“Pretty close.”

They pulled into the parking garage, and Alvin lead the way toward the employee entrance to the ballpark. The team was traveling for a game, so the stadium itself was rather empty, with only a few management staff present. They waved and greeted Alvin, asking after his knee and when he would return to work. Jude followed it all, but to Alvin's amusement, he appeared more and more confused with each passing remark.

Leaving the others to resume their work, Alvin led Jude down to the field. The other glanced about, as if looking for some clue.

“You work... at the stadium?”

Laughing, Alvin turned and gestured to the name on the back of his jersey. “You mean you still haven't figured it out, Honors Student?”

“What- ...Svent?“

Jude suddenly got very still, and Alvin could practically see the wheels turning in his head. The confusion on his face was slowly replaced by realization, and then horror.

The next thing Jude said was, "Oh," and after that, "You are not a mob boss."

And then it was Alvin's turn to look incredulous. He whirled around. " _What_?" The question bounced off the stands, echoing back at him comically.

Jude's face rapidly became more and more red, which he then hid behind his hands and groaned. "You are not a mob boss, you're a famous baseball player, and I am a _huge_ _idiot_."

"You thought I was a _mob_ _boss_?"

"Well, it was either that or a loan shark? It’s just—You were always so secretive about what you did for a living-!"

"I thought you'd figured it out-!"

"-And there were the expensive dates and the—the watch!"

Alvin huffed, folding his arms. "Well, I _am_ rich."

"A-And there was your cousin!"

“ _Balan_? He works for the government, but you didn’t hear that from me. Besides, he has a flair for the dramatics," Alvin admitted, shrugging. "I'm pretty sure he was injured in his lab, not by gun-runners or thugs. He also _really hates_ professional sports."

"Oh my god," Jude muttered, face still obscured. Alvin bit his lip and tried, rather valiantly he thought, not to laugh. He didn't really succeed.

"Jude, why did you agree to date me if you thought I was a mob boss?"

Jude groaned again and dropped his hands. He looked mortified. "Because you seemed normal at first? And you're really charming and nice, and no one was suddenly dropping dead around me, so I thought you might be, like. A good mob boss?" He sighed. “I feel like such an idiot. So much of it makes sense now.”

"Jude," Alvin laid a hand on his shoulder. "Please don't ever date mob bosses, no matter how charming and nice they are."

"Well that's not a problem _now_ ," Jude sighed, looking a little more composed. Then he realized what he said and flushed again as Alvin barked out a laugh and wrapped an arm around him.

"Good to know."

“To be fair, everyone made your job sound kind of shady...” Jude attempted, and the other laughed.

“I've been told that I'm a shady guy, so I can't blame you for being suspicious, but seriously, Jude, a mob boss?” He jostled the doctor good-naturedly. “Who knew I was _that_ shady?”

“Well, what are the odds that I was dating a star baseball player?” Jude snapped, bristling. Alvin snorted.

“What are the odds of you dating a _mob boss_?”

Grumbling, Jude ducked out from under Alvin's arm and shoved him away. “Well you could have told me sooner!”

“It was kind of nice not having you know.” He smiled, touching Jude's shoulder gently. “So many people are interested in me because of my job, and you...” Alvin flushed a bit, suddenly feeling very vulnerable. “You just liked me for me.”

Jude reddened as well, but didn't complain when Alvin wrapped his arm around him again. He glanced around the stadium, smaller than the one in Xian Du, but not by much. "So, um... baseball?"

"I was always a little disappointed that you didn't pick it up from the jokes. I thought for sure that you’d figure it out by the time we went to the Beast Hunters game." Bracing on hand on his hip, Alvin rocked back on his heels and grinned.

Jude shrugged, wincing a bit. "I sort of thought you just had a bad sense of humor and really liked sports?"

"That hurts, Jude."

"I guess, in retrospect, the pitcher-catcher thing was kind of funny."

"I really hit it out of the park with that one."

"Oh my god _are you serious_."

\--

Jude got a call early Monday morning—very much to Alvin’s displeasure, as he had been particularly engaged at the time—about his upcoming talk, so their long weekend was cut short when Jude had to return to Leronde early for work.

“You can’t work on it here?”

“All of my notes are back in Leronde, and it wouldn’t be much fun for you, anyway.” Jude laughed at Alvin’s expression. “Don’t sulk. The talk is on Friday, and I'll have some free time available after the weekend. I’ll see you again soon.”

Alvin, who was most definitely not sulking, frowned and debated sitting on the doctor’s suitcase to prevent him from packing. “Not soon enough. I’ve been spoiled by your company for the last three weeks,” he grumbled.

“You're going back to work this week anyway, right? I'm sure you'll stay busy enough without me.” He nudged Alvin's arm gently. “Now scoot, you're sitting on my pants.”

Jude was, annoyingly, right, and the next week went by in a blur as Alvin began training again with the team. It was just as well, since preparing for the talk kept Jude busy enough that he only called once. However, after Sunday's game, Alvin decided he'd been patient enough.

Milla could give him hell for it later, but the expression on Jude's face when he found out how Alvin got to Leronde was definitely worth the cost of hiring a private jet.

\--

"Seriously, though? You thought _Milla_ was working with a mob boss?" Leia sounded awed. Even in a crowded bar, the reporter's voice was loud enough to cause other patrons to glance over curiously. Alvin chuckled as Jude's face turned bright red.

"Well it's not like she was ever very _clear_ about what she was managing!"

"I'm sure I mentioned it at some point, Jude," Milla replied coolly, sipping at her drink. "You were probably working and not paying attention. Honestly, I'm a little disappointed in you."

And Jude flushed even more because she was probably right. Leia was howling with laughter now, drawing the attention of more patrons, and Jude looked like he wanted to sink into the floor.

“Now, now,” Alvin tried to be placating, and wrapped an arm around his companion. “I did try to keep it a secret from him.”

“Don't even,” Jude snarled, slapping at his hand. “If you'd have told me in the first place, it wouldn't have happened at all!”

“Why didn't you think to check for an occupation on his medical records?” Milla grinned. “I'm sure it was on there.”

“Well, the only thing that was sent over was a copy of his MRI scans,” Jude muttered, petulant. He sent a withering glare in Alvin's direction. “And I figured _someone_ would be honest with his physician about his job.”

The man held up a hand in defense. “I did say I was in-between jobs. Not entirely wrong.”

Leia, who had recovered sufficiently from her hysteria, wiped away a stray tear. “Ahh, Jude. To think, you believed I would let you date a mob boss.”

“Okay, I get it!” The doctor dropped his head in his hands. “I'm an idiot, I know.”

Milla nodded, stoic as ever. “Yes, but you're our idiot, thankfully.” Leia tried desperately to stiffle another set of giggles and failed miserably. Jude groaned and knocked back the rest of his drink as though it were a saving grace.

Taking his cue, Alvin stood. “I'll go grab us another round, then?” He didn't get far before Jude snagged his sleeve and followed, looking harried.

“Don't you dare leave me alone with those two, I'll never hear the end of it.”

Alvin grinned, maneuvering them both toward the bar. “I doubt you'll ever hear the end of it anyway, dear.”

“Watch it, _Alfie_.”

“Of course, you won't be hearing it from me.” Reaching the end of the bar, Alvin nudged Jude up against it. It was late enough that neither the bartender nor the other patrons paid them much attention, and he leaned in to murmur in Jude's ear, “You really are something, Dr. Mathis.”

Jude sighed, chest bumping against his as Alvin pressed closer. “Please, call me Jude.”

“You know, my knee’s all better now…”

“Alvin-“

“I’m just saying it can handle _strenuous exercise_ , if you know what I mean.”

Eyes glittering, Jude smirked. “I think you're a little out of your league.” 


End file.
